Us versus Them

Prison is a little city of its own and has it own rules of engagement as well as cultures. Every neighborhood is different and staff must adjust to that neighborhood or experience both increased stress and anxiety while working there. The first rule learned in the Academy is the “us versus them” rule. This rule supersedes all other rules and can be invoked anytime something goes wrong. No matter who is to blame, no matter who caused the problem prison rules are to be broken and must be kept intact to survive the harsh and demanding conditions that exist behind the walls that society wants to know nothing about. Thus a code is established and the rules of engagement are clear. This is the way it is and nobody is going to change it.


Prisons are impenetrable structures and many have worked hard to keep it that way. Their philosophy is simple and resembles the rule for going to Las Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas is pretty much the same code the correctional officers live by most of the time. They often believe that the public, the ones who have cast away those thousands of humans convicted of crimes wants to no longer be involved in their problems thus these “castaways” are now under the supervision of a correctional work force. The prisons are staffed with a majority of correctional officers, supervisors and administrators that have worn the badge. “Once a correctional officer always a correctional officer” and another code has been created or is born. The consequence of such births of different codes creates dynamics that are hard to understand unless one is inside these prisons where these elements develop. Thus one must understand the areas where these codes are born, as the neighborhood changes a little bit to adjust to the new expectation of conduct.

One would be foolish to think that they do not need each other to survive. In fact, team work is preached daily to handle the majority of tasks that clearly illustrates the ratio between staff and inmates are always in the favor of the inmate population. It is reasonable to say that at times, correctional officers must supervisor more than two hundred inmates at a time hoping they are not in the mood to give them resistance or non-compliance that day. Walking upon a recreation field of two hundred or more, sometimes more than five hundred men, the presence of four officers watching them work out and exercise is not uncommon. Thus the risks are calculated and the consequences of these physical dynamics are accepted by the officers to do a job the best way they know how. Often said to just get it done in a hurried manner, shortcuts take place to meet the demands of their supervisors who not too long ago, experienced the same hurried pace and understand why shortcuts are taken.

So more codes are developed to keep the truth from coming out as officers are doing their best to get the work load done in the time given and resources provided. This culture of taking shortcuts can be flawed and often results in serious omissions of critical tasks such as searches, unit checks, counts and other security functions. Having only limited time to walk the perimeter to check the fence line for breaches or tampering is difficult when you know you need to be at another location within the next ten minutes to help your partner out in the kitchen as you get ready to feed the population.

There are three dominant dynamics that occur inside prisons. They are employee to employee interactions; employee to inmate interactions and then there is the always hostile employee to the management and administrative interaction that is often dealt with mistrust of the purpose of the meeting.

Paying attention in the corrections academy you learned the “us versus them” mentality quickly to protect yourself from blame and discipline. You don’t trust the investigative process and you have no faith in the due process regarding any staff disciplinary investigations to glean innocence or guilt. Your experience has grown where you can make your own decisions and although well trained and confident, you notice the subtle changes in your performance realizing you are making more and more decisions on your own without any disapproval from your supervisor. This tacit approval works well for those who are experienced and well established in their routine and practice. It does not however, enhance those who are inexperienced and sloppy in their work habits.

Us versus them creates a line in the sand for the inmates you supervise as you begin to see them not so “human” anymore as your job has become robotic and mundane as time passes. You pride yourself on detecting mood changes and behaviors of others but you completely miss your own changes since you became an officer. Once in a while, a friend will tell you that you have “changed” but as you shrug it off as criticism, you embrace every new code that has been established in your own neighborhood and accept it as it is. No questions, no hesitations and no problems

Speaking about your job at home is rare. Unless your spouse is an officer or another family member is an officer, you will never share what you do because you feel they “don’t’ understand the scope of your job.” You refuse to speak of the work place dynamics that include violence, intimidation, fear and retaliation as normal and not paranormal as others may perceive it to be. This misunderstanding of your job creates barriers that often results in domestic depravations or divorce. Not created intentionally, it now impacts how you do your job and whether or not you show up for work or not. These times are difficult and alcohol and pills can help you sleep but as you awake to the alarm clock, you realize another shift is waiting before you.

When it is all said and done, I can only tell my brothers and sisters, I understand!!!!!!!!!

Be careful and be safe!







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